Boat Basics: Mooring Balls Explained – Digital

$9.97

Entering a mooring ball field can be intimidating at first. And in busy areas like the Caribbean and around several Mediterranean countries mooring fields can be jam packed. Avoid getting laughed at by missing the mark. This Boat Basics: Mooring Balls Explained guide will help you to:

Description

If you’ve never approached a mooring ball before it can be daunting. Therefore I created Boat Basics: Mooring Balls Explained to help those new to game.

We’ve seen many inexperienced sailors try over and over again failing each time. On several occasions my husband will get in our dinghy and go out to help. Some helmsmen don’t realise the need to head into the wind upon approach. Many crew members don’t know what to expect when pulling up a painter…Some mooring balls have easy to fetch painters whereas others become more and more mysterious upon approach.

Instead of looking like a novice in front of others, learn the tricks of the trade right now. In Boat Basics: Mooring Balls Explained you’ll learn the step by step system we use to always achieve a successful and safe mooring. Don’t get laughed at when entering a busy mooring field. Instead, entertain on-lookers with your sleek boat handling skills and tried and tested tricks of the trade.

The first step for a securing mooring (as in the guide)

Gather information. After locating a mooring ball, field, or bay filled with mooring balls, determine if the balls are private or for public use. Also determine if there are any weight or length restrictions – often balls are color-coded (white might be private but yellow could be public). Information about restrictions and/or phone numbers can often be written on the actual balls. Information prior to arrival can often be obtained from pilot books, plotters, maps, cruiser guides and cruiser websites. If you can’t get any information tie onto the mooring ball and eventually someone might tell you to leave or ask for money…plus 9 more steps

Two of the 15 mooring ball tips (as in the guide)

We position a third person midway between the helmsperson and the forward crew to help with communications. We’ve also seen other couples that use hands free headsets to provide instructions to each other. Within the cruising community they’ve been aptly named ‘marriage savers’ and it reduces the shouting that happens without them.

Never do you want to use only one line to affix your boat to a mooring ball due to redundancy purposes. Lines can easily chaff and by having two lines affixed the chances of coming unhooked are drastically reduced. Furthermore, if you use only one line chances are that another boater will visit you and ask for you to add another line – especially if you’re lined up to hit them if you break free.

As with all my guides if you don’t find that the information provided in the Boat Basics: Mooring Balls Explained guide is valuable, I will happily refund your money. No questions asked.

Total pages: 9 US Letter pages (includes a 10-step checklist and 15 tips on how to avoid making mistakes)